Miami Monday and Back Again

Zuma Mai Tai

MIA at 4am is a good thing. Happy with an on-time arrival from Chile, we breezed through Global Entry, grabbed our bags and waited way too long for the car valet. The adventure continued as we made our way to Marco on Tamiami Trail before 6am. It's a super scary route in the dark. Almost as remote as Antartica in an emergency. It's always good to get home. We found ourselves back in Miami again for some business and fun later in the week. We were able to work in dinner, with a toast to our good fortune, at Zuma. Thanks for following along on our magical mystery tour to the 7th continent. Cheers!

The Journey to Santiago Airport

The Quest docked in Antonio Chile around 7am Sunday. After our breakfast and farewells to new friends and favorite crew, we boarded a bus for a day of sightseeing and airport transfers to Santiago. Passing scenic farms and vineyards in the hilly countryside, devastation from the civil unrest in the area was not obvious until we neared the city of Valparaiso. Then, the scars of protests were everywhere. Sunday morning was eerily quiet on the city streets but the destruction was loud. So sad to see a beautiful seaside city shutdown in ruin. Apparently, the mobs have subsided a bit as it’s now summer break. Once all are back on schedule in mid-March, the havoc could erupt again. 

The first stop was the funicular for a panoramic view of the Valparaiso. It was our second brush with death of the trip. Old, rickety and perhaps sabotaged by rioters, we all wondered what could go wrong as we squeaked up the mountainside clutching our valuables.  Once on top, it was a decent view but not worth the worry. I did buy an awesome alpaca hoodie for $22 though. 

Next, we went to a beach town, Viña del Mar and stopped for a quick museum break at the Fonck. Lunch was in the Casablanca Valley at Puro Caballo, a typical Chilean horse stable. It was a really special setting with some horse dancing to boot. Onwards to the Santiago Airport with five-plus hours to kill. If all goes well, we’ll be home in Marco before noon Monday.

All About Bill

Saturday was all about Bill. January 11th rolled around pretty fast. Last year we celebrated Bill's birthday in Miami and this year we celebrated in the South Pacific Ocean on Seabourn's Quest.

The weather is warming up as we head north. On our last day at sea, we enjoyed an afternoon of bright sun and hot tub on deck 6. We had it all to ourselves. It was a festive day for Bill. The staff on board had some surprises, while kids and friends texted sweet messages.

Bill had a massage and we enjoyed steam and sauna before dinner at The Grill. We were both sunburned! Crazy!

From Market to Skillet

I'll be super happy to get back to my healthier routine and lifestyle. Twenty-four days is a long time to be living it up! My bike is calling and so is intermittent fasting. Two more days of this decadence.

Friday morning put us into Puerto Montt. It's a large, developed city in the Patagonia coastal region, often called the salmon capital of Chile. A small group from the ship hopped an excursion bus and headed to a municipal market to meet Chef Richard Knobloch. At the market, we helped Chef shop for fresh fish, produce, herbs and spices. From there, we had a short ride out of town to Puerto Varas. A cool little town, modern and friendly, on Lake Llanquihue overlooking Volcano Osorno. A beautiful setting.

Our group watched (and some helped) Chef prepare a three course lunch at the Bravo Cabrera restaurant. The ceviche was sublime. The just caught seafood was expertly prepared and presented. The beet soup with kelp and smoky spices was surprisingly tasty. Farm fresh blueberries in a yolk, wine and honey foam was a perfect finish. An authentically local meal and day to remember!

Castro Chile

It was another lazy day at sea on Wednesday reading, eating and relaxing. It's a tough life on board Seabourn's Quest. The scenery has been absolutely beautiful as we make our way up the Fjords passage to Santiago. The ship continues to host festive gatherings despite the fact that we're all sad to see this amazing journey come to an end.

The Quest anchored in Castro Chile around 9am Thursday. People were able to board tenders to the port shortly thereafter. Bill and I opted out of an excursion to simply explore the area on our own. The town had plenty of markets with beautiful woolen crafts, stray dogs, churches, buildings on stilts, restaurants and traffic. It was a bustling waterside city scene. After hours of walking and taking in the vibe, we found our way to the ship for a relaxing afternoon on the deck.

Chilean Fjords

As anticipated, the coastal Patagonia region is impressively rugged and vast with untouched beauty. Aside from one lecture in the morning, I was perched in front of a ship’s window most of the day. Tuesday and Wednesday are scenic cruising days as we travel north through the Chilean Fjords to Castro. 

This is the land of glaciers, waterfalls, rainbows and volcanoes. It is unspoiled wilderness and splendor. It is peace and quiet. It is a wonder of the world. 

Earth and Ocean, an outdoor dining option and second best restaurant on board, was our choice for dinner Tuesday. We bundled up in our expedition gear and blankets and watched gale force winds blow the sea and rain all around us in an attempt to scare us away. We hung in there, with a few other tables of adventurous diners, for the best dinner of the cruise. Piping hot lamb shanks and truffled polenta was comfort food at its finest.

Chilean Fjords

Punta Arenas

 Cruising through the beautiful Beagle Channel Sunday afternoon was a real treat. It is called Glacier Alley for a reason. The stunning scenery kept on getting better as we traveled to Punta Arenas while relaxing by the spa windows.

Punta Arenas used to be the known as the southern most city in the world but with development changing in South America, Ushuaia has arguably taken that title. 

We booked a last-minute excursion in Punta Arenas to make Monday in port easier. We took in two museums and other notable sights in the city. The NOA Victoria was a naval and maritime museum with replica ships from Magellan, Darwin and Shackleton. On to the Maggiorino Borgatello Museum, which reminded me of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC but on a much smaller scale. Then, off for Cerro la Cruz for a panoramic view of the city before disembarking at Plaza Munoz Gamero, the city’s main square. 

After the tour, Bill and I walked to the famous cemetery and browsed some shops before hopping a shuttle back to the dock. 

The present civil unrest in Chile is obvious throughout Punta Arenas. It was sad to see a plethora of spray-painted protests defacing buildings and monuments along with plenty of broken and boarded up windows. The pursuit of happiness is a bumpy road.

Part Three: Patagonia

 Traveling through the Drake Passage to Ushuaia was a piece of cake, or, as the captain said “Drake Lake” instead of “Drake Shake.” Our good luck continued as we made it to the coast of Argentina without having to endure the notorious rough seas of the area. Even approaching Cape Horn, with much fanfare, I must add, was easy sailing. 

With reasonably calm seas, Saturday was a restful day on board Quest. After our amazing expedition to South Georgia Island and Antarctica, we are ready to take on some civilization and the beautiful sights of the Patagonia region in Argentina and Chile. 

Our bus left at 7:30am sharp Sunday morningfrom the Ushuaia pier. It was a quick ride out of town to the Tierra del Fuego recreation area. An enthusiastic group of trekkers enjoyed a three mile, strenuous hike around the Tierra Mayor Valley. A couple of guides, poles and ropes were a big help up and down the slopes. 

A nice lunch was waiting for us back at the ship. We departed for points north along the scenic Beagle Channel just after 1pm. Part three of this journey should be pretty amazing, too.

Last Day in Antarctica

Our last stop in Antarctica was Half Moon Island in the South Shetlands on Friday. It was an easy landing from the zodiac and a nice amount of walking through a chinstrap colony. Chinstrap penguins have what looks like a black strap going around the chin. Duh! We saw some chicks, too. We also saw a skua with her new chick. Super sweet.

Seabourn put on a 'caviar on ice' event to commemorate the final day on the white continent. A variety of vodka, champagne and top shelf appys were served out on the chilly deck with everyone bundled up in fur or blankets.

Now we proceed north to South America by way of the infamous Drake Passage where three oceans converge, making for one of the roughest bodies of water in the world. There are plenty of heroic stories featuring the Drake Passage during the early days of Antarctic exploration. Hopefully, we won't have a story to tell about the Drake Passage.

Untypical Encounters of All Kinds

After another delightful dinner at The Grill, Bill and I went to the Observation Bar for a night cap. Commotion was brewing on the port side. We grabbed our drinks and ran out to the deck just in time to witness a breaching humpback whale. This enormous animal was lifting its body up and out of the sea for all to see its glory. Incredible!

The most remarkable part of this excursion to Antarctica is the fact that, for nearly a week now, we have seen no roads, automobiles, hotels, cathedrals, billboards, city lights, throngs of people or stray dogs. A refreshing change of pace to simply behold untouched land and seascapes day after day. We even received a certificate of travel commemorating our remote latitudes.

Thursday was a lazy day on board Quest. High winds prevented a landing at our originally scheduled stop: Dorian Bay. Instead, the team was granted access to a sheltered cove near Palmer Station for zodiac tours. We opted out of the zodiacs for spa time, books and binoculars. We even took in a documentary movie. It was a little bizarre, but thought-provoking. "Encounters at the End of the World" examined the characters that live and work in Antarctica. An unusual group of people indeed. There's probably a high correlation to the characters that visit the end of the world, too.

2020 Off to a Great Start

January 1st in Antarctica was one to remember. After our tour of the Chilean Base, we enjoyed a beautiful brunch on board Quest. An exquisite brunch actually, with the best sashimi ever among many other delicacies. Our hostess, Irena, came over to our table to wish us a happy new year and invited us to Thomas Keller's, The Grill, for dinner at 6pm. Apparently there was a cancellation. Yay! It's a good year. Haha.

Our third kayaking excursion (first was canceled in South Georgia due to weather) was at 3pm. What an amazing experience. It was a beautiful cove, calm water, light wind, 40°F and we paddled for almost two hours. We saw two avalanches and plenty of dolphining penguins. Spectacular!

We returned to Quest just in time to watch the polar plungers jump off the boat into 32°F water. Sixty-one people participated in that crazy new year's day tradition.

Happy New Year 2020

The new year is upon us! It feels right so far. We saw a penguin egg, a penguin chick, 50 shades of light blue and it’s only just after 12 noon on January 1. 

We were up and out in the zodiac after a lovely but low-key NYE celebration in scenic Pléneau Island. Anchored at Waterboat Point, we jumped in the first excursion group exploring the González Videla Chilean Base. It’s primarily a tourist spot with a Chilean military installation. Lots of gentoo penguins nesting and seabirds flying overhead.

Happy New Year to the blog readers. I hope you have exciting adventures and a healthy dose of good luck in 2020.